The present invention relates to eggs, and more particularly, to a new, freeze-thaw stable egg product and to a method for preparing it.
Eggs are extremely nutritious, and have been prepared in countless ways, with various spices and sauces to further enhance their natural appealing taste, aroma and appearance. And, food processors have provided the technology to enable long-term storage stability in a number of new product forms. For example, frozen liquid eggs are now available in paper cartons and can be stored in this condition for extensive periods of time. These products can be frozen, thawed and re-frozen because the uncooked eggs have not yet developed their cooked texture. Also available to the consumer are scrambled egg products, typically packaged as a part of a frozen breakfast.
Current commercial frozen food storage does not always maintain food products at freezing temperatures and in a frozen condition. Very often, during loading and unloading of transportation vehicles, the product will be permitted to partially or even completely thaw. This also happens in grocery stores when cartons of products are awaiting placement in the freezer chamber. Also, malfunctions of freezer equipment and cartons near the upper levels are further causes of thawing. To be acceptable under these commercial realities, a frozen food must not deteriorate noticeably after several cycles of being thawed and then re-frozen. Egg products typically tend to be subject to syneresis following even one cycle of thawing and re-freezing. It is suspected that this is due to the formation of large ice crystals and the creation of voids within the food product. While the product can be simply re-frozen, these voids are further enlarged with each cycle of thawing and re-freezing and result in a cooked product having a spongy texture with the water weeping from the eggs, leaving them sitting in an unappetizing puddle. The water which would normally exude would also tend to render soggy a coating which was intended to be crispy.
For the purposes of the present description, the term freeze-thaw stability shall mean that the product can undergo at least five cycles of thawing completely with a temperature rise to 40.degree. F. and then re-freezing to a temperature of 0.degree. F. with no significant synerisis occurring upon final cooking and no significant textural loss.
Our work in developing a freeze-thaw stable product, initially created processing as well as product quality problems while attaining freeze-thaw stability. When cold-water-soluble starch and hydrophilic colloids are employed in amounts sufficient to bind the water after cooking and during storage to render the product freeze-thaw stable, problems are encountered during initial mixing. These materials create the need for high shear mixing which not only adversely affects the heat setting properties of the eggs, but also results in the incorporation of the air into the product. The incorporation of air has two adverse effects. First, it makes the product undesirably spongy. Secondly, the air pockets form convenient spaces for water to collect and ice crystals to grow, thereby to some extent counteracting the beneficial results of the additives.
The product desired, which led to the findings of the present invention, is not simply scrambled eggs alone, but it comprises discrete pieces of egg bound together and shaped and then covered with a batter coating, which preferably contains bread crumbs to provide a crispy outer texture upon frying. This type of product has been shown to be highly favored in terms of organoleptic attributes, but presented difficulties in achieving sufficient product integrity during its preparation and still retaining a desirable overall taste and texture for the product. It was found initially that products which were bound together by a binder system effective to provide the desired degree of strength for processing, would tend to have poor flavor release and would give a heavy mouthfeel, quite dissimilar from the mouthfeel of home-cooked scrambled eggs which was desired.